Yarrow INNS Project

Regular conservation volunteers, and pretty much anyone who likes to get into the great outdoors, will be familiar with Himalayan Balsam and its ability to take over vast areas of woodlands and River Banks. Pretty as it pink flowers may be, it is one of a number of unwanted, non-native weeds threatening to take over our countryside. Over the next two years we will be leading a coordinated attack on Himalayan Balsam and other non-native weeds in the Yarrow Valley Area, from Adlington to Bamber Bridge.

Removing invasive weeds is a vital conservation task and we need your help to make a real impact. The bad news is there is a lot of Balsam to remove, the good news is, it’s a pretty easy to plant to pull up, so no special skills are needed and while volunteers will need to be reasonably physically active it is a job where you can work at your own pace, so is not overly arduous.

As well as the regular days listed below there will be other sessions at various locations throughout the summer. Children accompanied by adults or more than welcome, Balsam pulling is a great introduction to conservation and volunteering and may help parents or grandparents occupy days during the long summer holidays!